“Luka and LeBron gotta work together”: Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ iconic bassist gives Lakers stars tips on chemistry

LeBron James and Luka Doncic got off to a flying start to their Lakers stint together in February this year.

“Luka and LeBron gotta work together”: Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ iconic bassist gives Lakers stars tips on chemistry

Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Flea

LeBron James and Luka Doncic got off to a flying start to their Lakers stint together in February this year. The team endured a loss to Utah after their win in the first fixture before putting together an eight-game winning streak. It was at that time that NBA analysts, fans and coaches alike admitted the Lakers’ ceiling to be sky high. The team was tipped to be among the Western Conference favorites during that run.

However, after losing to the Boston Celtics, the team went into a free fall. The team is 3-7 in its last 10 games and despite James’ return after suffering a groin injury, they look off color on both ends of the floor.

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James himself has not been exerting himself well, and has often been leaving his team 4v5 in transition defense. His scoring output has also been off in both games since staging his return.

The team’s loss to the Orlando Magic with Dwight Howard present was yet another setback. The Lakers looked ready to snag the second seed in the Western Conference at one point. Instead, they’re only two losses above the play-in positioning at this moment in time.

Neither their defense nor their offense seems to have the energy they had during their win streak. This is sparking concern about their playoff chances this year within the fanbase, including longtime celebrity superfan Flea.

Flea, a Los Angeles native and the legendary bassist of rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, holds season tickets for Lakers games at Crypto.com Arena. The 62-year-old has seen the Lakers right from their Showtime era, and knows what winning NBA championships takes. He expressed one concern that has been on a lot of fans’ minds.

Luka and LeBron gotta work together, not take turns.

Flea tweeted

What Flea says makes perfect sense. James has been standing in the corner for the vast majority of possessions when Doncic brings the ball up. Conversely, Luka has stationed himself in the corner when James elects to be the action initiator. James is visibly the less effective on-ball player at this point in their careers. This means he should be screening, cutting and posting up more – as he was during the team’s win streak.

However, in his two games back from injury, LeBron James has not been moving the way he started Luka’s tenure doing. The 4-time Finals MVP has stopped leaking out in transition, and his cutting and motion have also been clearly restricted.

The team understandably needs to get back to their slow-fast offense and keep defenses on their toes. Their current single-tempo offense can be slowed down by teams that have length – like Orlando and Chicago do.

What are LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Lakers’ playoff prospects?

The Lakers seem to be positioned for a top-6 finish despite their recent free fall. This is because teams like the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors, who occupy playoff positions at this moment, are also not winning games at the rate they need to. Ja Morant is out for Memphis, while Curry and Jokic are dealing with ailments of their own.

The Lakers would be hoping to settle into a position where they can face the Houston Rockets or the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. Neither of these aforementioned teams has the experience of containing the Lakers’ two superstars. However this might possibly mean conceding home court in future rounds to opponents like the Clippers, Warriors, OKC Thunder or Denver.

Having the two biggest heliocentric stars with recent playoff success will always give the Lakers an unassailable offensive edge. However, the team lacks certain defensive components which define championship teams.

They don’t have a specialist defensive center or a point-of-attack defender. There’s only so much JJ Redick can do with the talent he has at his wherewithal.